rumsbeard

I pulled into a lot today and shifted the car into Park. The crown of the shift lever (containing the Mercedes symbol) broke off. I just love Mercedes quality.

btw, I have a 2005 C-Class.

1) seat adjustment lever fell off at less than 1,000 miles. Fixed
2) sunroof opened halfway, then closed by itself. Fixed.
3) castor bolts worn out at 25,000 miles (not covered under warranty). Fixed.
4) foot operated parking brake lost tension. Inexplicably fixed itself.
5) power windows opened halfway, then refused to go down or up. Technician could not duplicate problem.
6) trunk lid mechanism lost tension, so would not pop open. Fixed.
7) gas gauge failed on the way to LA, repaired after coming back to Bay Area
8) gas gauge failed again within 3 months. Fixed.
9) squeaking noise coming from suspension when entering/exiting vehicle. Noise was coming from rear brakes rubbing part of the suspension. Fixed.
10) on some days, the engine hesitates first time you start the car. (happens more often when the temperature is around 40 F). Dealer could not diagnose the problem after keeping the car for 4 days, so the problem has never been fixed.
11) rain-sensing wipers once in awhile will wipe furiously in light rain. This requires turning off the wipers, then putting it back to the auto setting.
12) automatic climate control currently seems to be on the fritz. I set the cabin temperature at 76 F when the outside temperature is around 55 F. My engine is fully warmed up, but the air blowing in through my vents is not warm at all. It feels like cool air.

Are these complaints extremely ****-retentive? I don't think I'm being that nitpicky... Thoughts?

California

You are going to have that fixed under warranty, right?

I think I have the hesitant window up and down problem, now that you mention it. Before I took possession of the car, MB fixed my sunroof; they noticed the problem for me on my 04 C230 coupe.

Other than that, I've only lost the little rubber pedal on the footbrake, which popped back on.

Ogpogo

Hahaha, I thought I was the only one who had this curse on his auto-wipers.

patrick_y

Can you please tell us more about the problem involving the castor bolts?

Time for a nice new Brabus shift knob!

Rick

Do you prefer Swiss or Meunster? Cheddar or Provalone? Wheat Thins, Triscuit or Ritz? I'll prepare a tray of cheese and crackers......to go with your WHINE.

Take the car in for service - get the condition fixed (under warranty) and move on.

Thanks.

rumsbeard

IMO that is not whining. "Die beste oder nicht" shouldn't mean my automatic transmission shift knob breaks at 44,000 miles. How much wear is even possible with an automatic lever?

And, I did get it fixed. I walked in to my local dealer and it took them about 30 minutes. The entire lever, crown with Mercedes symbol, and leather surround were replaced under warranty.

BlackLiquorish8

time for a brabus shift knob!

accbenz

I've got the 6spd manual (2005), and the same thing happened w/ my shift knob. It started to get really lose, and eventually it just came off. I also find the rain sensing wipers to be pretty annoying...they never go at the speed that they should. They seem to speed up when it's barely raining out. I've also had the "thumping" sound that comes from the trunk...and the rattling from the driver side door (which I fixed by having the door taken apart and taping the bottom of the trunk release button). Also the center channel speaker sounds distorted quite often, which I've had fixed w/ software upgrades. The rear sunshade/deck area also rattles w/ fairly loud/bass driven music. No MAJOR problems though, but lots of minor annoyances.

rumsbeard

My service advisor told me that the castor bolts were worn out. I took his word for it. Maybe I got the wool pulled over my eyes, but I didn't have time then to sort out whether it was true.

Is anyone thinking of sticking with MBZ and getting the new C-Class? Word is that Mercedes has turned itself around on quality. I guess I and many other suckers can't help themselves. I just love the confident handling of this brand.

I was thinking about getting something cheaper like a VW Rabbit 4-door, manual transmission. They're pretty competent in urban driving and seem decent on the highway. I don't place much premium on image. Would I be going far down in the world, in terms of total driving experience/handling/safety, if I get a Rabbit?